


Dove's Calling

by Sneakyfox55



Series: BlossomClan/TwilightClan stuff [5]
Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Addergaze tries to be, Awkward Conversations, Background Character Death, Backstory, Brotherly Bonding, Deaf Character, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Harper's a sweetie, Original Character(s), Pregnant Character, Sickness, Storm's a dork as always, death mention, flirting??, fluff?, it doesn't last long :), kind of?, slight blood/injury, slight references to domestic abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:47:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23987020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sneakyfox55/pseuds/Sneakyfox55
Summary: During a hunting patrol, Stormpaw wanders off towards Twoleg territory; Addergaze has no choice but to go after his mouse-brained brother.
Relationships: Harper & Addergaze(?)
Series: BlossomClan/TwilightClan stuff [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1349275
Kudos: 2





	Dove's Calling

**Author's Note:**

> yaya more backstory!! with BlossomClan this time! honestly, i love writing backstories like this, it's so fun to show past moments in these characters' lives, and how it works up to the present :)
> 
> unfortunately, this one's not as happy (you'll see what i mean later)--but i hope you enjoy it anyway!
> 
> (oh, and trigger warning: this does mention Greencough, a respiratory sickness in Warriors, and alludes to a death because of it or something similar, which might upset some people with our current situation; if it bothers you, feel free to avoid it or skip the discussion of the death/sickness part)

In this moment, Addergaze felt like burying himself in the ground out of frustration. Not only had his younger littermate interrupted the hunting patrol out of nowhere--where even was Lilystar to watch after him?--but now he'd completely just _run off._ And presumably in the direction of Twoleg territory, which was... Just dandy.

Huffing, he opted to follow his brother's scent trail, which eventually stopped in a clearing of sorts; before he could understand where in the name of the Dark Forest he'd disappeared to, Stormpaw suddenly dashed out of the bushes in front of him, causing Addergaze to nearly jump into the air out of surprise; spitting, he forced his fur to lie flat again, glaring at the apprentice with annoyance.

"What was that for?" he hissed angrily. "Are you _trying_ to scare all the prey away?!"

"Shhh! Follow me," the other tom mewed instead, turning and, only heightening Addergaze's irritation.

"Oh, goody, what did you find _now_? A terrorized squirrel? Why, with all your racket, I--"

Stormpaw hissed at him to stay quiet again, and reluctantly, he snapped his mouth shut. Bitterly, he made the choice to follow him, only to stop and realize where they were headed.

"Are you a _mouse-brain_?" he snapped. "Why are you leading us towards Twolegs?! Do you _want_ us to be killed?"

"Hush, I found something!" A tall building formed in front of them, just as Stormpaw decided to dart up to it. Addergaze let out another angry hiss and ran after him.

"Stormpaw, you little--"

"Look!"

The apprentice was holding his paw delicately on something in the garden of the Twoleg den, having jumped over the small fence that surrounded it; Addergaze came to a slow stop, peering over the tiny barricade hesitantly.

"...What is that?"

"Catmint," proclaimed his brother, as though it was the most admirable thing he'd done yet. "Fawnpaw told me about it, and--"

"And _why_ is it _your_ job to risk your life to get a few _measly leaves_?"

Stormpaw narrowed his eyes at him. "You know Leaf-fall's coming; and they need all the help they can get when Leafbare comes."

"That's not our problem," retorted the warrior, "they can handle it--"

"But what if they can't?"

Addergaze paused, blinking as he caught the new pain in his littermate's eyes. "We... We couldn't have prevented that."

"I know that," murmured the younger, "I know it... It was sudden, and..." He flattened his ears. "I want to be ready _now_. So that... So no one else has to..."

The red-brown tom jumped the fence and walked closer, dodging the garden and sitting beside his sullen brother. "Hey," he said softly, "it's going to be okay. We'll be fine, StarClan--"

"StarClan can't always take care of us, Addergaze."

He stopped, a bit shaken by the apprentice's words. Stormpaw looked up at him, gaze blank.

"Don't you remember the stories? The Five Clans?"

Addergaze swallowed.

"Come on," he said, standing up, "let's bring some of this back to camp."

Seeming to be out of his weird daze, Stormpaw brightened and proceeded to help his older littermate gather up the herbs in their mouths; once he had all he could carry, he leaped back over the fence. Addergaze turned to follow, when a peculiar noise caught his attention. He glanced back, and froze.

In the middle of the yard stood a fluffy white she-cat, with shining blue eyes, and a plump belly; he at first thought her plumpness to be the result of overfeeding by her Twolegs--as clearly, she was a kittypet--but he smelled the scent of milk on her.

He backed away, a bit put-off by her presence. But instead of moving away as well, she stepped closer, appearing a bit curious, as well as bewildered.

"Um--" stammered Addergaze. "We were just--leaving."

She blinked at him, not uttering a word.

"Is--is it okay if we, borrow some of this?"

She blinked again.

Addergaze twitched his whiskers. _Is she mute? What's wrong with her?_

Before he could ask as much, Stormpaw leaped back over to their side, the herbs discarded from his mouth, apparently. He studied the kittypet for a moment, then mewed, "Hi, my name's Stormpaw. What's yours?"

She didn't answer. She just flicked her fluffy tail, and stared back. He mewed again, "What's your name?"

The she-cat paused, then sat down; Stormpaw noticed her gaze wasn't locked on his, but rather his mouth. He pricked his ears. "Ah..." he said quietly. Addergaze gave him a weird look.

"What, you understand this--this crazy--... What's the matter with her?" he blurted. He quickly looked back at her, as though thinking he might have offended her. She just cocked her head slightly.

"She's deaf," Stormpaw explained, "see?" He gestured with his paw, and Addergaze followed the direction. As he watched her, staring back at them blankly, and slightly intrigued, it suddenly made sense.

"Oh. She... Doesn't know what we're doing, then?"

"I guess not."

Addergaze twitched his whiskers. So, then, how exactly were they supposed to communicate?

Oh. Maybe...

Purely out of impulse, he pointed with his tail at the catmint in the garden, making sure her gaze was following him; then he pointed towards the forest behind them.

She cocked her head more, and he did it again, a questioning look in his gaze.

Her eyes widened, and something like realization came across her face. Then she nodded.

"...Is... That a yes?" he mumbled, more so to himself, but she nodded again, seeming to understand his intention now.

Well. That was simple enough, right?

He said a quiet thanks, then turned back to the fence, only to feel a paw touch his backside gently. He whipped back around, a bit startled, and found she had snuck up on him.

Seeming a bit sheepish, she gestured towards her cheek, then to the forest. He blinked, and she blinked back; she quickly made a small "oh" formation with her mouth and parted the fur on her cheek, revealing a gash, not fully scabbed yet and still bleeding.

"Oh--you're hurt?" Addergaze asked, a bit dumbly, even though she obviously was. But she nodded again. "What happened?"

At that, the white she-cat faltered. She backed away a couple of steps, ears flattened.

"No, wait--we--" He paused. "We can, um... Get something for you."

The kittypet perked up, eyes twinkling again. She smiled slightly, gesturing towards the forest, then back at him, asking a question; this time, he nodded.

"Hey, uh, Stormpaw?" He turned to his brother, "Would you mind, um, getting some... Cobwebs? Or whatever? I don't really know much about herbs myself, and..."

"Just shut up, I'll go," the apprentice mewed playfully, rolling his eyes, then once more made his way out of the yard. Addergaze turned back to the she-cat, who was once more sitting down, her tail curled neatly over her paws.

"So, um..." the warrior began awkwardly. He'd... Never talked to a kittypet before, really. Much less a she-cat like this? Who couldn't even hear him? She seemed nice enough, but it was... Odd.

Oh wait. That's right, she couldn't hear him.

Quick, think of something to do!

He suddenly pointed at her belly, a bit bizarrely, and winced inwardly. "Do you uh, have any names picked out?" He cringed outwardly, this time. But she just smiled a bit, almost curiously. Oh, how to make the question clear, he couldn't just go back on it...

He pointed at her belly, then at the collar she was wearing, specifically at the name-tag. She blinked, made another "oh" formation with her mouth, and seemed to ponder for a moment.

Then she gestured toward a bird, sitting on a branch.

"...Bird?" he asked.

She shook her head; she then gestured to her white fur.

"...White...?"

She shook her head again, her shoulders shaking a bit; it took him a moment she realize she was laughing.

"A white... Bird? White bird?" Now he was just plain confused. But she grinned at him, pointed at her fur again, then at the bird again.

 _Think specific,_ she seemed to be saying.

She paused, then mouthed something.

"...What?"

She mouthed it again, a bit slower. "...More... Need?" She shook her head, letting out a small laugh, then continued to mouth the word. "...Morning?" She nodded, eyes twinkling, but made a somewhat sad face. "Oh, mourning? Like mourning a death?" 

The she-cat nodded fervently, looking a bit excited, ears perked straight up. She pointed back at the bird.

"What?" Addergaze asked, utterly confused. "What does mourning have to do with a bird? Mourning... Bird?"

She made a small noise, sounding like a hum. _A mourning bird? Is that--is that even a bird?_

...Oh. Wait, wasn't there some kind of kind of bird with "mourning" in the name? Mourning...

"Mourning dove?" he guessed.

A big, shining smile broke out across her face, as she seemed to know what he'd said. "So, a mourning dove? Or just dove?"

Before she could respond, they heard footsteps, and a moment later, Stormpaw reappeared, his paws sticky with cobwebs and mouth full of some kind of herb Addergaze couldn't recognize. Stormpaw trotted over to the she-cat, and dropped the supplies at her paws; she gave him a grateful look, and pulled them closer to her.

"You're welcome!" mewed the apprentice. He turned back to his brother, saying, "You ready to go?"

Addergaze startled; somehow, he'd completely forgotten about that. "Oh--yeah, sure."

He turned again, but once more, he felt a nudge.

Automatically, he glanced back, to find the she-cat giving him a grateful look as well.

"Thank you," she mewed, so softly, with a voice so raspy, he almost didn't hear her.

"...You're welcome," he responded, blinking back at her.

Then, with that, the two clan cats headed back over the fence once more.


End file.
